Thursday 5 January 2012 05.42 EST
First published on Thursday 5 January 2012 05.42 EST

An American state senator in Indiana has proposed a law punishing anybody who changes the lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner. Vaneta Becker wants to impose a fine of $25 (£16) on singers who dare to improvise, extemporise or undermine the United States' national anthem.

Senator Becker, a Republican, is furious about parodies of The Star-Spangled Banner, including a "disrespectful" satirical version one of her constituents heard at a sporting event. "I don't think the national anthem is something we ought to be joking around with," she said. "Singing our national anthem is a sign of gratitude to those who have served our country."

Becker's national anthem bill would introduce "performance standards" at state-sponsored events, with singers signing a contract before they warble the tune. Schools would also be forced to maintain audio recordings of every single performance of the anthem, in case anyone complained. "I don't think it would be very difficult for schools," Becker said. "You could record it on a cellphone."

For the tin-eared among us, Becker wants to be clear: "It's not like we're going after anyone's ability to sing," she told the LA Times. "We just want them to respect the words and the tune as it was originally intended and we normally sing it." Though she would excuse some flats and sharps, Becker would crack down on performances such as Steven Tyler's in 2001, when he changed the line "home of the brave" to "home of the Indianapolis 500". It's unclear how the senator would react to Jimi Hendrix's famous reinvention, or the version in Puccini's Madame Butterfly.

Ironically, The Star-Spangled Banner wasn't originally intended as an anthem. The tune was first known as To Anacreon in Heaven, a British drinking song written in the late 18th century. Francis Scott Key wrote new lyrics in 1814; this version was designated the United States' national anthem in 1931.